Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-29
BURIED IN THE RUINS.
A MILWAUKEE, HOTEL WRECKED By A
BOILER EXPLOSION.
Servant Girls Severely Burnsd-Eight Of the UnfOr-
tunatss Rescued After Receiving Terrible In
juriss-Dstails Of the Disaster
How Il Occurred.

MILWAUKEE, November ga shOCA-
ing accident occurred at the Kirby House,
shortly before 9 o'clock this morning.
A boiler used for heating water ex-
ploded, entirely wreckiDg the rear end of
the building, burying a number OF people
beneath the ruins, fatally wounding sever
al, and, it is feared, killing Others outright
The explosion blew out portion of the
rear wall of the building, thirty feet in
width, and extending from the ground to
the floor of the fourth story. One end OF
the dining room was wrecked, all the
tables being knocked over and the dishes
smashed. Most of the guests had finished
breakfast. Among those who remained,
panic reigned, but as far as known none OF
the guests have been hurt. There were
about dozen girls in the room at the
time. and all were buried beneath the
mass of brick and mortar.
The fire department was on the scene
within minute after the explosion, and
the following girls were taken out of the
ruins very badly injured: Anna Kennedy,
assistant cook; Carrie Olson, dining room
girl; julia Fieldmeyer, dining room girl;
Nora Daugherty, dining room girl; Mary
Arbuckle, pastry cook; Maggie Doran,
kitchen girl; Alice Burke, pantry girl;
Mary Roger, kitchen girl; Mary Leahy,
chambermaid; Eva FredricksOn, dining
room girl.
All the above were SO badly injured that
DR.. Marks said he could not tell whether
they would live or not. Those whose in
iuries are the most serious are Mary Ar
buckle, Anna Kennedy and Carrie Olson,
all of whom
ARE TERRIBLY BURNED,
in addition to the bruises which they re-
ceiyed. There is no hope that Carrie Oh
son will recover.
Miss Minnie Thompson, agirl employed
in the Sentinel bipdCTy, across the alley,
was badly cut about the head by the fly
ing glass that was blown in by the explo-
sion.
Mr.. Beckwith, one of the proprietors of
the hotel, who was in the rear part OF the
building, near where the explosion took
place, was hurt in the head by flying
missile, which knocked him down.
The alley back of the hotel was piled to
the depth OF four or five feet with debris
from the wrecked building. The north
wall of the dining room was blown in for
distance of fifteen or twenty feet. The
tiTemen got water upon the ruins In time
to extiDguish the flames before they
gained much headway. The accident was
probably caused by the freezing of the
feed pipe supplying the boiler with water.
Nine young women were at work in the
Sentinel bindery when the explosion occur-
red The alley is ouly about fifteen feet
wide and the flying bricks aud debris
CRASHED THROUGH THE WINDOWS
at the hindery. Anuie Meyers was slight
ly Injured by being struck by falling paS-
ter. Nellie Thompson was cut badly and
her condition is critical. A lamp that was
in front of her was driven by the force OF
the explosion against her face. As she lay
in Der HcrOM Office she presented a pltiable
sight. Her head was covered with blood.
Both eyes had been cut and bruised until the
Door victim was unable to use them. A doc
tor was summoned, and as quickly as posi-
bic the unfortunate girl was removed to her
home.
Miss Langtry, employed in the compOs-
ing room of the !SeRtinel, told very good
story of the affair. ~ was alone in the
com posing room with young boy when
terrible noise was heard. was lifted off
my feet, and at the same time every win
dow in the skylIght was shattered. The
plasteIing fell all around me, but not
where stood. The boy cried An earth
quake ! was too startled TO realize what
it was, hut made my way down stairs as
quickly as possible. The force was so
great that many cases in the composing
room were pied" The girls from the
Sentinel office bindery found shelter in the
Journal office. They
WERE GREATLY EXCITED
but could not tell how they escaped the
flying bricks and plaster.
At II o'clock the fremen found the
body of Mrs. +. NJ. Gage, the assistant
cook, under the ruins. 1t was shockingly
mangled.
Frank Hempel the head cook, who was
at first reported killed, escaped alive, but
is badly hurt. One arm and three ribs are
broken and he is badly injured about the
head.